Padres manager makes crucial lineup announcement after defeating Mariners

The San Diego Padres earned a 5-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night. After the game, manager Craig Stammen announced that outfielder Ramon Laureano will be the team’s leadoff hitter moving forward, via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.

“Ramón Laureano is the Padres’ leadoff man until further notice, Craig Stammen said. He cited Laureano’s quality of at-bats wherever he’s been hitting this season, whether it’s first or ‘seventh, eighth, whatever, when I was dumb, putting him lower in the lineup,'” Cassavell reported.

Laureano, a 31-year-old veteran, is off to a strong start in 2026. He is now slashing .290/.355/.551 after going 1-4 on Thursday. Laureano has also hit four home runs to go along with four doubles and a triple.

Getting on base is certainly of the utmost importance as a leadoff hitter of course. Laureano’s .355 OBP is impressive. He is finding ways to reach base and score runs. The outfielder has walked six times and scored six runs this season.

With the win, San Diego improved to 13-6 overall. The Padres trail the Los Angeles Dodgers by 1.5 games in the National League West standings. The ball club is playing well at the moment, as the offense had a quality day on Thursday while Mason Miller continued to dominate out of the bullpen.

Up next for San Diego is a three-game series in Anaheim against the Los Angeles Angels. The first contest will be played on Friday night at 9:38 PM EST, where Ramon Laureano will surely be batting leadoff once again for the Padres.

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